Spirit: Best in Show All Stars

From Broken to Brave

I saw a black and white dog online that looked completely broken and defeated. In person, he wouldn’t raise his head and it took 40 minutes to coax him out of the kennel. Once out, he never left my side. If I took a step, he took a step. If I started to walk away, he would walk between my legs nearly tripping me. As I was doing the paperwork, he sat like a perfect gentleman.

I was only going to foster him for two weeks, just to get him out of the shelter environment, but within hours of having him home, I knew he was never going back. His entire personality had changed.

After a good night’s sleep, he was more alert, his eyes sparkled, he was eager for food, toys and affection. He was starting to come out of his shell. Thinking he had outgrown his anxiety, I left him alone for an hour. In that hour he decided to show me his artistic and creative abilities using the leather sofa as his canvas! An entire cushion in pieces! I put it back together as best I could, Spirit watching the entire time, proud of his work.

I called the Animal Foundation to change his status from “Foster” to “Adoption”. I asked if I could change his name to “Spirit”, as this dog literally went from broken down and fearful to his building trust and confidence. After only three days, I had him walking on leash with Jordan, my senior dog. He was learning German verbal and non-verbal commands.

He was getting his “spirit” back.